|
|
|
Average Customer Review
Share your thoughts with other customers
|
|
|
The most helpful favourable review
The most helpful critical review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Harry's transitional third year at Hogwarts
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban doesn't quite live up to the greatness of its predecessors, in my opinion, yet it is definitely another fabulous read. Azkaban, of course, is the prison in which convicted wizards are held, and it is nice to get our first information about the type of place it really is. This also serves to introduce what are perhaps the most...
Published on 22 Aug 2003 by Daniel Jolley
|
› See more 5 star, 4 star reviews |
 |
8 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
It's the best of the lot, but...
I enjoyed this one most out of the five so far. It's the one where the characters get on best, their personalities come through very well, the story moves along and you find out more of Harry's background, and the school life is shown well. So why does it get only one star? It gets one because it falls apart with Hermione and her time-travel thing. That undermines...
Published on 25 May 2004
|
› See more 3 star, 2 star, 1 star reviews |
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Harry's transitional third year at Hogwarts, 22 Aug 2003
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban doesn't quite live up to the greatness of its predecessors, in my opinion, yet it is definitely another fabulous read. Azkaban, of course, is the prison in which convicted wizards are held, and it is nice to get our first information about the type of place it really is. This also serves to introduce what are perhaps the most sinister creatures encountered thus far in the continuing story of Harry's years at Hogwarts. Rogue wizards are a pretty devious and tricky lot, but the Dementors of Azkaban are more than up to the task of keeping them subdued. A Dementor, a cloaked, hooded, thoroughly spook-inducing creature, sucks the happiness out of everyone around it, and virtually all prisoners eventually go mad after enduring nothing but their most unhappiest memories at all times. No prisoner has ever escaped the prison - until now. Sirius Black, convicted of killing one wizard and a dozen Muggles twelve years earlier, has escaped, and every indication is that he is coming after Harry Potter to kill him. This threat looms over Harry throughout his third year at Hogwarts, as even the Ministry of Magic is working to keep young Potter safe from the hands of such a dire criminal. Naturally, there is much, much more to the story of Sirius Black than meets the eye, and a number of old secrets and missing pieces of Harry's history are brought to light. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban strikes me as bearing a transitional place in the Potter series of books, enriching the landscape with more involved sub plots and new, potentially important characters, enclosing all of this important information inside a story that is sure to delight and entertain all fans of Harry Potter.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Absolutely amazing; the best Harry Potter book yet!, 13 Oct 1999
By A Customer
What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said by someone here? It was absolutely amazing! I've loved the Harry Potter books since I read the first one last spring, but this is my favorite of them so far. The beauty of it, the layers of betrayal and friendship that are slowly peeled away chapter by chapter, are all simply breathtaking.I started Prisoner of Azkaban one night as I got into bed, planning to read only a few chapters and then sleep. 435 pages and many hours later, watching the sun start to come up, I finally put it down, having finished the entire book. In the process of those 435 pages, I laughed, I gasped in surprise, and believe it or not I cried. The emotions of the characters expressed in this book as, bit by bit, the story of what really happened that Halloween night that Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter, were absolutely perfect. One of the finest books I've ever read!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
A Masterpiece!, 2 Dec 2001
I thought Harry Potter couldnt get better after the Philosophers Stone but then I discovered The Chamber of Secrets and now, to surpass them all comes The Prisoner of Azkaban! Stephen Fry continues to amaze me with his ability to draw the "listener" into the story. I listen to Harry Potter every morning and evening on the way to and from work. Before discovering Harry, I used to get frustrated with the hours drive home in traffic queues but now look forward to having a long journey home, just so I can hear more of Harry. Im an addict - officially! Im 25 and my partner thinks Im crazy for being into this "kiddy" thing - well im here to tell you that imagination doesnt stop when you leave school and I find this the perfect antidote for a stressful life - I can escape it all and listen in bliss to the great Stephen Fry excelling himself and complementing the already brilliant Harry Potter!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Best of the first three books, 25 Feb 2006
Firstly, I would like to start on a negative note before concentrating on the book. My rant to other reviewers: Please stop spoiling these books for other people by letting slip important plot elements in your reviews. These reviews are not the place to do this, go on the HP forums and discuss these things with others who have already read the books if you like but don't ruin it for others. Already I have stumbled across a couple of important facts about books 4 and 5 that I certainly didn't want to know just after a brief flick through some Amazon reviews. This shouldn't happen and I'm annoyed that it has. Just stop it, OK! My advice to people is not to read the reviews on here for books in the series they haven't read yet. Rant over.OK, so far I have just read the first three in the HP series, having come late to the phenomenon as a curious almost-thirty-year-old. I enjoyed the first two books a lot, raced through them and thought 'That was good fun.....but I am too old for this?' They were obviously primarily for younger readers but I could enjoy them too. The third booked I feel bridges the slight age gap of the first two and is a truly wonderful read for all ages. The characters are more interesting and fleshed out, the story starts to take on a slightly darker edge as has been said many times before. This is the book that really made me start to care seriously about the characters and what is happening in this magical world. The second half of the book is magnificent and had me racing through it in no time, now I can't wait to get started on Goblet of Fire. Put simply, I just haven't enjoyed reading a book as much as this for a long time (and I've read a LOT of books); at the end I thought to myself, 'Now that was brilliant'. The book really captures your imagination by starting to delve more thoroughly into the past of the Potters' and their friends, leaving you more hungry than ever to find out more in the following book. Personally I'm glad I came late to HP, as it means I can get through books 1-6 without an agonising wait for my next fix; but waiting for book 7 could be painful once I get that far. Highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Best of the best!!!, 26 Mar 2006
In my humble opinion POA is J.K's best so far. I think it's something to do with the characters, i love Sirius and lupin they make the book and the look into Harry's family history and his parents school life is as interesting and exciting as Harry's own.Although not as long as the later books this is just as clever and sinister but maintains the magic and richness of the first two. What 4,5 and 6 miss in the way of Hogwarts tradition like the Halloween feast, quidditch or Christmas at Hogwarts book three keeps as well as giving us a more complex and shocking story paving the way for future plots and climaxing the expectations and rumors of the whole story line. The whole books built on suspense and forces you to think and guess at it's conclusion and when you get to the conclusion it's more shocking and exciting than you ever imagined, and any minor part of the story that you did manage to guess leaves you feeling ridicously smug for the est of the day. Every one should read Harry potter and even those who didn't get blown away by 1 and 2 will by the POA and will have no choice but to buy the entire box set.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Elegant Edition, 27 Jul 2004
It is not completely accurate to claim, as some reviewers have, that this "adult edition" is no different from the children's edition. Two points are worth noting: first, as compared with the hardcover version, the print is somewhat larger and easier to read, and the pagination is more convenient (not to mention the fact that the book is lighter and thus much easier to hold for sustained periods); second, the cover design is much nicer than the children's edition. However, for most shoppers, the decision being made is likely which paperback version to pick up and re-read as review for the film or in preparation for "The Half Blood Prince". If that is the case, the only difference is the cover design and, at least for adult readers, the "adult" version's is superior.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
J.K.Rowling does it Again!!!, 1 Jun 2004
The prisoner of Azkaban is brilliant. J.K Rowling has captured and grasped many more audiences with her brillant and gripping story lines. A lot more about Harry's parents is revealed. Also the plot is unpredictable too as the alledged murderer Sirus Black turns out to be good in the end as well as being Harry's godfather.This offering was both enjoyable and humorous and i can't wait for the later installments. Furthermore, many morals and lessons are learnt during the course of reading as some people may not appear to be what they are as demonstrated with Sirus Black who is good in the end. Also Ron adds in more humour and excitement to the whole story therefore this book is a MUST READ AND BUY FOR ALL!!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Far more intense and sometimes dark than what’s come before, 8 Feb 2003
Rowling manages the rare trick in an author of making each of her books better than the last. Harry Potter’s history is slowly revealed throughout the books along with his day-to-day schooling at Hogwarts and the current danger imposed by Voldemort or one of his underlings. It is the sewing together of these three strands that makes Harry’s adventures so gripping and original along with the increased maturity each novel brings (the themes of love, death and evil are intensified in each new book). Whilst the Philosopher’s Stone was suitable for a wider audience each subsequent book grows alongside Harry meaning Prisoner Of Azkaban may not be suitable for children under 12 or as well appreciated.
With the inclusion of more wonderful characters to add to the storyline such as the sinister dementors, Lupin and Sirius Black POA excites with the unfamiliar but still retains those elements that make Harry Potter books what they are. Time travelling, flying griffins, a map that changes and a certain pet rat’s history adds to the Harry Potter series’ charm and for over three hundred pages Rowling transports you to a new world.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
The Most Surprising and Revealing One in the Series..., 21 Nov 2003
In this third installment to the Harry Potter series, lies more danger, more thrills, and new revelations that will change Young Harry's life forever.Now in his third year at Hogwarts, Harry is now a teenager who is shaping to be a great wizard with potential. He's brave, caring, courageous.... but he always ends up being involved in some kind of trouble. This year is no different. A prisoner known as Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban. And it is said that he is after Potter, for the dementors, (vicious hooded prison guards capable of terrible and horrible things), heard Sirius saying "He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts," in his sleep. With Black loose, Harry is not safe and is about to find out just how much more of his past has been left in the dark. Secrets will be revealed, revelations will show themselves, and Harry's life will never be the same again. I would've never expected myself to become a fan of the Harry Potter series, but I think they are very well written books with great creativeness and imagination that can appeal to both children and adults. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" proves to be even better than the first two books. In fact, I have to say that so far this is my favourite one. (I have read up to the fourth one as of now and have started the fifth.) It's more darker and intended for older readers. (That doesn't mean little kids won't enjoy it as well. I just like the fact how each book gets more and more intended for older readers.) J.K. Rowling is a fabulous writer. She takes on the genera of fantasy head on, and just when you think she cannot outdo herself any further, she surprises you once again. The books may be getting longer, but once you start reading them you don't want to stop until the very end. You say to yourself you'll only read one more chapter, and it turns to be ten chapters instead. That is the sign of a great writer. If you don't want to put the book down for a second, then the author has done his or her job. Rowling does more than get the job done, she works overtime and goes to great lengths to give her readers satisfaction. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is by far my favourite Potter book. There was nothing boring or wordy about it. It was just right, and then some. It's going to be hard to top this one, but knowing Rowling, she'll probably surprise me once again. I have finished the fourth one awhile back, and it was ALMOST as good as this one, but I still think the third book's the best. This is a great read for all ages. I was very surprised and amazed. Expect the unexpected with this one.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
The Third book of the incredible Harry Potter, 6 Jun 2001
Once there was a time, when Harry didn't think about his past, or what happened to his parents. However, after two years at Hogwarts and realising that they were not killed in a car crash, and that they were a wizard and a witch; he starts to wonder. With his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione (Her-my-o-knee, not Herm-i-oan!)Granger, Harry learns about his parents so-called 'friends' who let them down, and comes across the evil Dementors of Azkaban. Who's evil forces Harry to hear his parents last moments. This, in my opinion, is the best book in the series. Firstly, Proffesor Lupin is a great character, and there are so many twists in the end that your jaw barely leaves the ground through the last 4 chapters. This coupled with the fact that there is a new racing broom out called the 'firebolt', makes it by far the best read. Watch out for Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. The question you ask yourself in this one is Proffesor Trelawney telling the truth at the end of Harry's exam? The answer comes in book four. Thank you JK, an immense read!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Amazon Home
![Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2 Disc Edition) [2004] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MR0YBCTAL._SL160_SL90_.jpg)
